It’s official! Disney has released dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party for 2017. Are you attending? I AM! This year, Disney starts the party at the end of AUGUST and it runs through November 1. What a schedule. I can’t wait to see what magic they bring this year!

No official on sale date yet but going based off of historical data, they should go on sale in early May.

The big question for adults with the change in costume policy earlier this year is “can I wear a costume?” The answer is YES! They are discouraging guests from some specific types of costumes and larger costumes are subject to further inspection in security – it’s a safety thing. So plan accordingly but definitely bring you creativity!! For adults, long layers and full length dresses are not allowed. Capes may be worn but not past the waist. Remember all of these things are for the safety of all guests!

Some highlights from the 2016 party:

Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade – including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade kicks off with a ride from the Headless Horseman.

Happy HalloWishes fireworks – an AMAZINg display different from the everyday fireworks!

Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes.

Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdominto happy haunted hollows.

Hocus Pocus Villain spectacular bringing back the Sanderson sisters to put a spell on the park. This stage show was wildly popular!

Trick or treating around the Magic Kingdom with more candy that I know what to do with (and tons of options for guests with allergies).

I expect this year to have even more haunting magic! While it is a separate admission into Magic Kingdom, if you travel in fall it’s 100% worth the cost to take advantage of lower crowds and all of the fun things that ONLY happen during the party.

Tips & Tricks for Special Events in Magic Kingdom:

Depending on your length of stay and number of days with park tickets, you have two options for the morning and early afternoon of your special event.

For longer trips or those with park hopper tickets: Take the morning off! Sleep in (you’ll rarely hear me say this on a Disney vacation, so take advantage). It’s a great opportunity for a late morning character breakfast at Chef Mickey in Contemporary or the delicious flavors of Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge. Enjoy your resort’s pool and explore to see some of the hidden things it has to offer. Use Disney’s transportation to navigate to another resort to explore (I choose the deluxe resorts!) or head to Downtown Disney for the morning.

For shorter trips with only base day tickets, you may want to take the opportunity to “park hop”. Since you do not need your daily ticket and your special event ticket, enjoy a morning in another park

Regardless of your morning plan, eat a large late lunch before you arrive at Magic Kingdom! While select quick service restaurants are available, you don’t want to use your precious time eating a meal you could have any other time during regular park hours. You may find yourself roaming around the park for something that’s open by the time you are hungry. There are dining options both table service and quick service during the party, but you’ll use up precious time if you dine during the party.

Skip the long character lines and enjoy some of the special live shows and open attractions. You’ll rarely ever see lines that short! If there is a must do character, don’t worry about waiting! Do what is important to your kids (if characters are more important than rides, GO FOR IT! We are a character meet and greet family so seeing them in different attire is fun and it’s the only way to see some villains!)

Arrive as close to 4 pm as possible. While the park may still be a bit crowded with ticketed day guests, you’ll want to use as much of your ticketed time as possible.

Rest up earlier in the day (make sure kids have napped appropriately). Bring a stroller for your younger ones to take a little snooze waiting for a parade or a place if they are just too tired.

Consider Memory Maker. It’s a great little add on to any Disney vacation, but why not grab a few holiday photos for your Christmas card or capture some lasting Halloween memories through the eyes of Disney! Even if you don’t add it on, you can still take advantage of Disney’s PhotoPass photographers throughout the park.

If you know you want to attend one of the parties, buy your tickets before your arrive. Advanced purchase is a bit cheaper (usually about $5) and some popular dates sell out.

If you are not attending the party and you have base tickets, avoid these party dates! You won’t get a fireworks show at the end of the night (unless you watch it off the Magic Kingdom grounds). If you have park hopper tickets, it’s a pretty good park to start your day with as many people do avoid Magic Kingdom on party nights!

Ready to get started planning your 2017 Disney World vacation? Please contact me at any time for a free quote. The benefits to using an authorized Disney vacation planner include saving time before and during your vacation with itinerary planning which can help save you hours of standing in line each day. Plus you won’t have to watch for available discounts, research resorts, wake up early for dining reservations, or stay up late for FastPasses. The best part about using a travel planner instead of planning yourself? It’s totally FREE! Plus I’ll take away some of the stress and confusion of planning a Disney vacation (especially if it’s your first one!)It’s also a worry free vacation opportunity. I’ll walk through through all of the steps to the process with a few little insider tips along the way! If you already have your vacation planned and are interested in transferring your vacation, ask me how!

Crowds continue to increase in April as Spring Break continues through the week of Easter (April 16th). Droves of families from all over the country take this break from school as a perfect excuse to head to Disney World (as if you need an excuse!) In addition to higher crowd levels, prices spike to more peak levels. While Spring Breaks are staggered throughout the country (sometimes even within the same state), from what I’ve investigated, the week of Easter and the week following are the two most popular weeks. The week following Easter, but crowds and prices begin to fall and weather is often quite pleasant!

April weather in Disney World

According to Weather.com the average high in the month of April is 82 and the low is 58. Be sure to check your favorite weather app prior to your departure to confirm actual temperatures before you pack. This can be picture perfect weather for Disney World! Warm enough to swim during the day but not too hot that walking around the parks are unbearable! I can tell you from personal experience, the early parts of April 2014 were HOT and late April 2015 was very comfortable! April 2017 was again a bit warmer than predicted. Remember that the average of 82 meals there were days warmer and cooler but it’s pretty safe to say you’ll be happy and shorts and taking some time for the pool or a water park!

Choosing Your Travel Dates/Events to be aware of

April 1 – 22 – Spring break season concludes! It’s still generally better to travel during peak spring break vs. peak summer based on temperatures and similar crowds!

March 1 – May 29 – Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival. This doesn’t increase the overall day to day crowds in Epcot or in the resorts, however you may see an increase in crowds over the first few days of the Festival with bloggers and excited guests!

April 20-23 RunDisney – Star Wars Half Marathon: The Dark Side. This is the 2nd annual event and it’s gaining popularity with events on both coasts throughout the year! Like other RunDisney events, you won’t see a huge increase in crowds in the parks, but it will limit some resort availability.

Special Offers/Promotions

No promotional offers will be available at the time of publication. Look toward the end of 2016 or around the first of the year for promotional offers for Spring 2017 (based on historical releases). In previous years, a room discount was offered with an additional day of park tickets at no additional cost!

When to book dining

Dining reservations are available 180 days in advance of your arrival date which means you can bee dining for April can be made in early October! If you have an active package, you’ll have the ability to book dining for your entire length of stay. If you’re inside that mark, you may not see every dining reservation available – especially popular things like character dinners (especially Cinderella’s Table, and Chef Mickey’s) and popular locations like Ohana and Be Our Guest. Don’t let lack of availability worry you, since all Disney dining reservations require a credit card guarantee, cancellations do happen so persistence and patience are key! As we start the month in Spring Break, planning for the incredibly popular locations are often best for later in your trip to secure prime dinner times!

Cost

Disney’s Pop Century brings adults back to their childhood!

So how much will it cost a family of 4 to travel to Disney World in April of 2017? Let’s do the math. Remember these are NON-DISCOUNTED rates so your total could be less than the ones listed below. These travel dates fall under Spring Break as it’s a more popular time to travel.

The Smith family wants a fun an inexpensive vacation and are planning 7 days and 6 nights at a value resort. I suggested Pop Century in a preferred room since it’s most centrally located among the value resorts. They are taking mom, dad, Susie – 13 and Jenny – 9 on their first vacation! They have decided on 5 days of base tickets to really focus on one park each day and to save a little bit of money and will pay for meals out of pocket and bring some snacks with as well, so no dining plan. $2796.14

The Jones family wants a moderately priced vacation and are also planning 7 days and 6 nights, but they want to stay at a moderate resort. Their two daughters love Disney princesses so they are considering an upgrade to a royal guest room. They are also going to do 5 days of base tickets but are considering the upgrade to park hoppers to see more with their time. If the Jones family chooses the least expensive package options, their moderate vacation would cost them $3342.98. If they added park hoppers to their tickets, their vacation would cost them $3636.94. And if they wanted to upgrade to a royal room their vacation would cost them $33913.66

The Howell family wants to go all out for their two children’s first Disney World vacation and stay in a deluxe resort for 7 days and 6 nights. They definitely want park hoppers to see everything and they are considering the dining plan. Their preferred resort is Wilderness Lodge but with the construction scheduled, they are going to try out the recently renovated Polynesian resort to have access to Magic Kingdom. and Epcot. With 5 days of park hoppers, their vacation would cost them $6228.94. If they did elect to add the dining plan, their vacation would cost them $7586.20

The bottom line

April is a great time to travel to Disney World if your only options are school breaks whether you can’t pull your kids out of school or if you’re a teacher! If you’re looking for lower crowds after Spring Break season before the summer temps start to soar, the end of the month leading into May is one of my favorite times to travel! While the pricepoint is a bit higher in Spring Break Season than that of the the “off season” a family of 4 can have a magical Disney vacation. There is potential for some promotional offers (typical room discounts), so your family can still save a few dollars as well!

Ready to get started planning your 2017 Disney World vacation? Please contact me at any time for a free quote. The benefits to using an authorized Disney vacation planner include saving time before and during your vacation with itinerary planning which can help save you hours of standing in line each day. Plus you won’t have to watch for available discounts, research resorts, wake up early for dining reservations, or stay up late for FastPasses. The best part about using a travel planner instead of planning yourself? It’s totally FREE! Plus I’ll take away some of the stress and confusion of planning a Disney vacation (especially if it’s your first one!)It’s also a worry free vacation opportunity. I’ll walk through through all of the steps to the process with a few little insider tips along the way! If you already have your vacation planned and are interested in transferring your vacation, ask me how!

Crowds begin to increase in March as Spring Break season begins in early to mid March. Droves of families from all over the country take this break from school as a perfect excuse to head to Disney World (as if you need an excuse!) In addition to higher crowd levels, prices spike to more peak levels. While Spring Breaks are staggered throughout the country (sometimes even within the same state), from what I’ve investigated, it looks like the week of March 12th starts true spring break season through Easter (April 16). Generally, the most crowded “spring break” weeks are the weeks immediately leading up to Easter Sunday and through that week.

March weather in Disney World

According to Weather.com the average high in the month of March is 78 and the low is 54. Be sure to check your favorite weather app prior to your departure to confirm actual temperatures before you pack. This can be picture perfect weather for Disney World! Warm enough to swim during the day but not too hot that walking around the parks are unbearable! Remember that 78 is the average, so you may see cooler temps earlier in the month and much warmer temps toward the end of the month. Definitely check the forecast before you arrive.

Choosing Your Travel Dates/Events to be aware of

March 12 – 31 – Spring Break Season (if this is your only option outside of summer, don’t be afraid to take advantage of

March 1 – May 29 – Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival. This doesn’t increase the overall day to day crowds in Epcot or in the resorts, however you may see an increase in crowds over the first few days of the Festival with bloggers and excited guests!

Special Offers/Promotions

No promotional offers will be available at the time of publication. Look toward October for promotional offers for early 2017 (based on historical releases). In previous years, both a room offers and package promotion were both available.

When to book dining

Dining reservations are available 180 days in advance of your arrival date which means you can bee dining for March can be made in early September! If you have an active package, you’ll have the ability to book dining for your entire length of stay. If you’re inside that mark, you may not see every dining reservation available – especially popular things like character dinners (especially Cinderella’s Table, and Chef Mickey’s) and popular locations like Ohana and Be Our Guest. Don’t let lack of availability worry you, since all Disney dining reservations require a credit card guarantee, cancellations do happen so persistence and patience are key! As we start to creep closer to the busy season of Spring Break, planning for the incredibly popular locations are often best for later in your trip to secure prime dinner times!

Cost

Disney’s Pop Century brings adults back to their childhood!

So how much will it cost a family of 4 to travel to Disney World in March of 2017? Let’s do the math. Remember these are NON-DISCOUNTED rates so your total could be less than the ones listed below. These travel dates fall under Spring Break as it’s a more popular time to travel.

The Smith family wants a fun an inexpensive vacation and are planning 7 days and 6 nights at a value resort. I suggested Pop Century in a preferred room since it’s most centrally located among the value resorts. They are taking mom, dad, Susie – 13 and Jenny – 9 on their first vacation! They have decided on 5 days of base tickets to really focus on one park each day and to save a little bit of money and will pay for meals out of pocket and bring some snacks with as well, so no dining plan. $2552.08

The Jones family wants a moderately priced vacation and are also planning 7 days and 6 nights, but they want to stay at a moderate resort. Their two daughters love Disney princesses so they are considering an upgrade to a royal guest room. They are also going to do 5 days of base tickets but are considering the upgrade to park hoppers to see more with their time. If the Jones family chooses the least expensive package options, their moderate vacation would cost them $3118.00. If they added park hoppers to their tickets, their vacation would cost them $3411.96. And if they wanted to upgrade to a royal room their vacation would cost them $3685.30

The Howell family wants to go all out for their two children’s first Disney World vacation and stay in a deluxe resort for 7 days and 6 nights. They definitely want park hoppers to see everything and they are considering the dining plan. Their preferred resort is Wilderness Lodge but with the construction scheduled, they are going to try out the recently renovated Polynesian resort to have access to Magic Kingdom. and Epcot. With 5 days of park hoppers, their vacation would cost them $5678.76. If they did elect to add the dining plan, their vacation would cost them $7036.02

The bottom line

March is a great time to travel to Disney World if your only options are school breaks whether you can’t pull your kids out of school or if you’re a teacher! While the pricepoint is a bit higher than that of the the “off season” a family of 4 can have a magical Disney vacation. There is potential for some promotional offers (typical room discounts), soyour family can still save a few dollars as well!

Ready to get started planning your 2017 Disney World vacation? Please contact me at any time for a free quote. The benefits to using an authorized Disney vacation planner include saving time before and during your vacation with itinerary planning which can help save you hours of standing in line each day. Plus you won’t have to watch for available discounts, research resorts, wake up early for dining reservations, or stay up late for FastPasses. The best part about using a travel planner instead of planning yourself? It’s totally FREE! Plus I’ll take away some of the stress and confusion of planning a Disney vacation (especially if it’s your first one!)It’s also a worry free vacation opportunity. I’ll walk through through all of the steps to the process with a few little insider tips along the way! If you already have your vacation planned and are interested in transferring your vacation, ask me how!

February also has some of the lowest crowd levels and cost of the year as well as mild temperatures. With these lower crowds also come increased attraction and resort refurbishment. February also is host to the Disney World Princess Half Marathon and President’s Day which is a school holiday for many. These two dates increase crowd levels for a short period of time, so if you can avoid them, I’d highly recommend it. Park hours are also more limited in February with parks like Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios closing earlier than they do during peak travel times. Additionally, Valentine’s Day in 2015 had every single Disney resort room booked, so if this is a priority date for you, book it early. 2016 didn’t see as big of crowds, but still something to consider!

February weather in Disney World

According to Weather.com the average high in the month of February is 73 and the low is 50. Be sure to check your favorite weather app prior to your departure to confirm actual temperatures before you pack. Recent years have brought unseasonably warm weather to the area. A sunny 70 degree day can be comfortable in short sleeves and pants (or shorts if you’re brave). It’s best to bring light layers at this time of year just to be safe! All of Disney’s pools are heated, so if you’re brave enough to stick a toe in, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 2015 February temperatures were well below average and fairly close to average in 2016. Always check your weather shortly before your arrival to ensure you pack appropriately!

Choosing Your Travel Dates/Events to be aware of

February 14 – Valentine’s Day.

February 18 – 21 – President’s Day weekend. This will be the biggest increase in crowds for February 2017. With many kids having a day or more off of school but locally and nationally, you’ll see a big increase in guests going into the parks. This weekend will likely have the largest crowds of the month.

February 23-25 – Princess Half marathon. This annual event will slightly increase hotel capacity but doesn’t have a huge overall change in park attendance (especially after the weekend is over)

February 28 – Mardi Gras.

Special Offers/Promotions

No promotional offers will be available at the time of publication. Look toward October for promotional offers for early 2017 (based on historical releases). In previous years, both a room offers and package promotion were both available.

When to book dining

Dining reservations are available 180 days in advance of your arrival date which means you can bee dining for February can be made in early August! If you have an active package, you’ll have the ability to book dining for your entire length of stay. If you’re inside that mark, you may not see every dining reservation available – especially popular things like character dinners (especially Cinderella’s Table, and Chef Mickey’s) and popular locations like Ohana and Be Our Guest. Don’t let lack of availability worry you, since all Disney dining reservations require a credit card guarantee, cancellations do happen so persistence and patience are key!

Cost

Disney’s Pop Century brings adults back to their childhood!

So how much will it cost a family of 4 to travel to Disney World in February of 2017? Let’s do the math. Remember these are NON-DISCOUNTED rates so your total could be less than the ones listed below. These travel dates avoid holiday weekends so if you’re traveling over one (or marathon weekend, you’re likely to see a slight increase to these costs)

The Smith family wants a fun an inexpensive vacation and are planning 7 days and 6 nights at a value resort. I suggested Pop Century in a preferred room since it’s most centrally located among the value resorts. They are taking mom, dad, Susie – 13 and Jenny – 9 on their first vacation! They have decided on 5 days of base tickets to really focus on one park each day and to save a little bit of money and will pay for meals out of pocket and bring some snacks with as well, so no dining plan. $2260.80

The Jones family wants a moderately priced vacation and are also planning 7 days and 6 nights, but they want to stay at a moderate resort. Their two daughters love Disney princesses so they are considering an upgrade to a royal guest room. They are also going to do 5 days of base tickets but are considering the upgrade to park hoppers to see more with their time. If the Jones family chooses the least expensive package options, their moderate vacation would cost them $2810.80. If they added park hoppers to their tickets, their vacation would cost them $3104.76. And if they wanted to upgrade to a royal room their vacation would cost them $3342.16

The Howell family wants to go all out for their two children’s first Disney World vacation and stay in a deluxe resort for 7 days and 6 nights. They definitely want park hoppers to see everything and they are considering the dining plan. Their preferred resort is Wilderness Lodge but with the construction scheduled, they are going to try out the recently renovated Polynesian resort to have access to Magic Kingdom. and Epcot. With 5 days of park hoppers, their vacation would cost them $4808.04. If they did elect to add the dining plan, their vacation would cost them $6165.30

The bottom line

February is a great month to save money at Disney World. A family of 4 can spend just over $500 per person! With low pricing and usually great special offers, your family can still save a lot of money! I can’t wait to see what 2017 discounts Disney offers to knock off several hundred dollars off the prices above!

Ready to get started planning your 2017 Disney World vacation? Please contact me at any time for a free quote. The benefits to using an authorized Disney vacation planner include saving time before and during your vacation with itinerary planning which can help save you hours of standing in line each day. Plus you won’t have to watch for available discounts, research resorts, wake up early for dining reservations, or stay up late for FastPasses. The best part about using a travel planner instead of planning yourself? It’s totally FREE! Plus I’ll take away some of the stress and confusion of planning a Disney vacation (especially if it’s your first one!)It’s also a worry free vacation opportunity. I’ll walk through through all of the steps to the process with a few little insider tips along the way! If you already have your vacation planned and are interested in transferring your vacation, ask me how!

January (and February) has some of the lowest crowd levels and cost of the year as well as mild temperatures. With these lower crowds also come increased attraction and resort refurbishment. January also is host to the Disney World Marathon and Martin Luther King Jr. Day which is a school holiday for many. These two dates increase crowd levels for a short period of time, so if you can avoid them, I’d highly recommend it. Park hours are also more limited in January with parks like Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios closing earlier than they do during peak travel times.

January weather in Disney World

According to Weather.com the average high in the month of January is 71 and the low is 47. Be sure to check your favorite weather app prior to your departure to confirm actual temperatures before you pack. Recent years have brought unseasonably warm weather to the area. A sunny 70 degree day can be comfortable in short sleeves and pants (or shorts if you’re brave). It’s best to bring light layers at this time of year just to be safe! All of Disney’s pools are heated, so if you’re brave enough to stick a toe in, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Choosing Your Travel Dates/Events to be aware of

Jan 1-2, 2017 – the end of holiday season. You’ll see the last of the holiday crowds departing over this time frame. Expect peak crowds here!

Jan 4-7, 2017 Disney hosts the Disney marathon. This annual event will slightly increase hotel capacity but doesn’t have a huge overall change in park attendance (especially after the weekend is over)

Jan 14-17, 2017 – Martin Luther King Jr weekend. This will be the biggest increase in crowds for January 2017. With many kids having a day or more off of school but locally and nationally, you’ll see a big increase in guests going into the parks. This weekend will likely have the largest crowds of the month.

Jan 29-30 – Pro Bowl. This year’s NFL Pro Bowl will be held in Orlando this year with some fanfare to be held in Disney World. This again will likely increase hotel capacity for the weekend and may have a short increase in crowds (I’m guessing a Magic Kingdom parade will be involved).

Special Offers/Promotions

No promotional offers will be available at the time of publication. Look toward October for promotional offers for early 2017 (based on historical releases). In previous years, both a room offers and package promotion were both available.

When to book dining

Dining reservations are available 180 days in advance of your arrival date which means you can bee dining for January travel beginning in July! If you have an active package, you’ll have the ability to book dining for your entire length of stay. If you’re inside that mark, you may not see every dining reservation available – especially popular things like character dinners (especially Cinderella’s Table, and Chef Mickey’s) and popular locations like Ohana and Be Our Guest. Don’t let lack of availability worry you, since all Disney dining reservations require a credit card guarantee, cancellations do happen so persistence and patience are key!

Cost

Disney’s Pop Century brings adults back to their childhood!

So how much will it cost a family of 4 to travel to Disney World in January of 2017? Let’s do the math. Remember these are NON-DISCOUNTED rates so your total could be less than the ones listed below.

The Smith family wants a fun an inexpensive vacation and are planning 7 days and 6 nights at a value resort. I suggested Pop Century in a preferred room since it’s most centrally located among the value resorts. They are taking mom, dad, Susie – 13 and Jenny – 9 on their first vacation! They have decided on 5 days of base tickets to really focus on one park each day and to save a little bit of money and will pay for meals out of pocket and bring some snacks with as well, so no dining plan. $2260.80

The Jones family wants a moderately priced vacation and are also planning 7 days and 6 nights, but they want to stay at a moderate resort. Their two daughters love Disney princesses so they are considering an upgrade to a royal guest room. They are also going to do 5 days of base tickets but are considering the upgrade to park hoppers to see more with their time. If the Jones family chooses the least expensive package options, their moderate vacation would cost them $2810.80. If they added park hoppers to their tickets, their vacation would cost them $3104.76. And if they wanted to upgrade to a royal room their vacation would cost them $3342.16

The Howell family wants to go all out for their two children’s first Disney World vacation and stay in a deluxe resort for 7 days and 6 nights. They definitely want park hoppers to see everything and they are considering the dining plan. Their preferred resort is Wilderness Lodge but with the construction scheduled, they are going to try out the recently renovated Polynesian resort to have access to Magic Kingdom. and Epcot. With 5 days of park hoppers, their vacation would cost them $4808.04. If they did elect to add the dining plan, their vacation would cost them $6165.30

The bottom line

January is a great month to save money at Disney World. A family of 4 can spend just over $500 per person! With low pricing and usually great special offers, your family can still save a lot of money! I can’t wait to see what 2017 discounts Disney offers to knock off several hundred dollars off the prices above!

Ready to get started planning your 2017 Disney World vacation? Please contact me at any time for a free quote. The benefits to using an authorized Disney vacation planner include saving time before and during your vacation with itinerary planning which can help save you hours of standing in line each day. Plus you won’t have to watch for available discounts, research resorts, wake up early for dining reservations, or stay up late for FastPasses. The best part about using a travel planner instead of planning yourself? It’s totally FREE! Plus I’ll take away some of the stress and confusion of planning a Disney vacation (especially if it’s your first one!)It’s also a worry free vacation opportunity. I’ll walk through through all of the steps to the process with a few little insider tips along the way! If you already have your vacation planned and are interested in transferring your vacation, ask me how!